Let The Games Begin
by AnimeAddict1059
Summary: After a failed rebellion, Katniss and Peeta are forced back into their celebrity lives in the Capitol. Snow makes sure they're broken and bending to his will, even forcing the two to marry and have children. The Games continue and their children get reaped in the latest games... where only one can come out alive.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I've been rekindling my love for THG all because... yep, you guessed right. November's coming up and you know what that means... Mockingjay Part 1 is coming! Haha... yeah... I love it. So I made this and I hope I didn't fail but I'll leave that to you guys to decide.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

-Willow-

There weren't a lot of things that were particularly pleasant about my childhood. Only a few memories stood out whenever I thought really hard about it. Mostly, my life was all about gloom and sadness and fear. A constant fear that loomed over us… over my parents.

A fear that caused many good things in my life to disappear until I wasn't sure anymore if anything that had happened to me was real or not. I was starting to understand why my father sometimes muttered 'real' or 'not real' to himself. Actually, I wouldn't be too surprised if I started doing it eventually.

I stared up at the ceiling of my room, oblivious to the chill the evening air brought. I gave up trying to sleep a few minutes ago and I don't see myself actually sleeping any time soon.

I heard her scream again tonight. That was the third time it happened this week. My stomach twisted into knots and I closed my eyes, desperately trying to erase her blood-curdling screams. But how could I? I grew up to the sound of her screams. I was oblivious at first but then I grew older and her screams grew louder.

Do you know how painful it is to hear your own mother scream like she's being tortured? Well… for your own sake, I hope you'd never find out. I wouldn't want to wish this on anyone.

I heard soft footsteps outside and I quickly rolled onto my side, my back facing the door. This was routine to me now. After her nightmares, she always checked on me and my brother. Rye's room was closer to my parents' room so it was logical for her to check on him first.

If I were lucky, she'd stay there and not check on me. Rye knew how to comfort her. It just came naturally to him. He was really close to both mom and dad and I wouldn't be surprised if he calmed her down before she could even think about checking on me.

I heard her footsteps getting frantic and faster. She didn't stop at Rye's room, which was odd. Instead, I heard her continue down the hallway, towards my room. My heart plummeted as I drew up the most plausible conclusion: the nightmare had been about me.

It must've been pretty scary for her to skip out on Rye and go straight to me. This was a first.

I closed my eyes and pretended to even out my breathing just as the door opened. I could feel her staring at me and it gave me shivers. Most kids would feel at ease at their parents' presence but not me. Not when she's like this.

"She's safe… s-she's safe…" I heard her whisper to herself. She sounded so relieved when she said that. The nightmare had shaken her up more than I expected as she let herself inside the room, hovering over my bed. She never did that.

Still, I didn't turn around and offer her comfort. That was Rye's job. Usually she would stand at the doorway for a few seconds before moving back to her room.

Mom still stood there, staring at me and then I realized she was hesitating to touch me. I opened my eyes a sliver and saw her shadow. I could see her frame shaking and she was holding out her right hand. She kept pulling it back and pushing it farther until she gave up and placed it at her side.

She still couldn't touch me. Sixteen years since my birth and she still hesitated to initiate contact with her own daughter. I didn't know what I did to her but it must've been something awful. I thought it was just her personality but she was never this indecisive when it came to Rye. She would even cuddle him if she were given the chance. Maybe she just hated me. I don't know. She wouldn't tell me why she acted like that around me. Maybe she just… didn't love me.

She lingered for a few moments before turning around and closed the door softly behind her.

She may care enough to protect me but that wasn't enough for her to love me. At least, that's what I've concluded. She was distant when it came to me but never to Rye.

Maybe it was because of the constant hounding of the Capitol towards my family. I didn't know the exact details but from what I've learned at school and at home, my parents had been a part of a failed rebellion after the 75th Hunger Games. President Snow forced them to surrender and my parents had been on constant supervision ever since.

The Games still continued and despite what my parents did, they were still treated like celebrities by the Capitol folk. Every year they would journey there for all kinds of interviews and meetings and every time they came back, they looked even more broken than before.

I heard stories from people around the District. They said I wasn't planned to come into my parents' lives. They said the Capitol forced my parents to have me to put a stop to the hope that still burned inside the people who believed in the Mockingjay. They had _me_ to show that they were under Snow's command and there would be no more rebellion.

It worked. The moment I was born, my life had been the Capitol's entertainment. I was paraded around with my parents, brought to many parties, interviews with Caesar Flickerman… I was brought up with everyone's eyes on me: the adoring and ignorant eyes of the Capitol and the sad, pitying eyes of the Districts.

I force myself to stop my train of thoughts and curled up deeper under my blanket. I didn't want anything to do with the Capitol… or the games… or whatever things my parents had done… but I was their key to escaping what could have been a very nasty sentence by President Snow for their crimes.

All I could do was do my part and let them use me.

I wasn't anybody special. I was just leverage to my parents' precarious situation and I would be nothing more.

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><p>-Katniss-<p>

I didn't get much sleep the night before. My nightmares kept me up again. They were always the same. Everyone I loved would be taken and killed right in front of me and there was nothing I could do.

That night, however, my nightmares did something they'd rarely done before. I dreamt of Willow, struggling inside the arena. She turned into a little girl, the one who loved to dance in the meadows just outside District 12.

I watched as she stumbled across the forest floor, crying and limping, calling for her mother. I could hear voices hooting and whooping in glee in the distance and that was when my blood ran cold.

_Cato_

_Clove_

_Marvel_

_Glimmer_

_The Careers…_

I tried to scoop up my daughter… to save her from those monstrous teenagers who wouldn't have a second thought when it came to killing even a harmless little girl.

My feet stayed glued to the floor and my hands were stuck to my sides. I couldn't do anything as I watched my daughter get hit by a small knife on her leg. Then another sailed past me and embedded itself on my daughter's left arm.

I heard her scream in agony and I heard her call for me… but I just stayed there, horrified and frozen. I didn't do anything. I _couldn't _do anything.

I kept screaming her name, kept begging for them to stop but they continued their onslaught. They kicked her, sliced her skin, made her cry harder for a mother who could never save her.

And then I heard it… Snow's voice drifted through the air, taunting me. _This is what happens when you step out of line, Ms. Everdeen. I gave her to you and I can take her back…_

Cato stepped forward with his sword gleaming in the moonlight. With one quick movement, he thrust it forward, passing through Willow's small body easily.

That last thing I saw was my daughter's face, eyes wide and pain still written across her features. My screams had woken Peeta up by then and he shook me awake shortly after.

I didn't go back to sleep after I checked on Willow. She was back to her sixteen year-old self and was safe inside her bed. At least… she was safe for now.

I let out a sigh and rubbed my hands on my face. Reaping Day was tomorrow. Maybe that was why the nightmares started up again. My children hadn't been called for the past few years and I was more than grateful to whatever God there was out there. Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for this year.

My daughter was sixteen and my son was thirteen. Their names were no longer entered just once in that dreaded bowl and that was more than enough to set me off. Willow had been lucky, surviving for nearly five years without her name being picked. The chances for Rye had been upped, now with two slips of paper with his name entered.

Who's to say this was the year that streak would stop? My stomach churned unpleasantly and tears burned at my eyes. I didn't know what I would do if one of them got picked.

The thought made me light-headed. It made my heart shatter.

_If only we hadn't failed that rebellion._

"Katniss? Katniss, breakfast's ready." I heard Peeta call from downstairs. I stared blankly at the door for a few seconds. I didn't feel like eating or even getting off the bed for that matter but I knew how my husband was. He would start worrying again. My children would start to become wary of me. It would be better if I came down.

Peeta called me again and I finally kick off the covers and walk out of the room. I could hear my family's chatter as I trudged down the chairs and it only made me feel guilty.

I found Peeta hovering over the table, placing plates upon plates of bread and eggs on top. Rye and Willow looked tired. It was clear that my screams had kept them up all night. Rye looked ready to fall back asleep but Willow tried so hard to hide it. She only looked down on her empty plate, acting like nothing was wrong.

"Morning, Katniss. Take a seat, I'll get you some coffee." Peeta said as he looked up.

I nodded at him and went to my usual seat at the table. Rye looked up at me and managed a small smile. I forced a smile back to him and leaned back on the chair. I saw Willow looking away from me and I couldn't help but feel saddened.

She'd been distant from me for the past few years. I think most of it was my fault. _I'd_ been distant to her as well as she was growing up. The only memory I had of her and me doing an activity together was the day I showed her how to hunt. Come to think of it, it wasn't a particularly great experience. I ruined her innocence, taught her to kill. Sometimes I saw it in her eyes that she didn't like what she was doing… but then, a fierce determination would take its place and she would continue.

I felt like she wasn't doing it for herself but rather for somebody else. If she was trying to impress someone, I hardly think a bow and arrow would do the job. Who am I to argue anyway? As much as I disliked teaching her how to kill, I couldn't help but think that this was all for her sake. The mentor… or the protective mother in me thought that she should learn all that I knew for her sake, if she was ever chosen for the Games.

I couldn't get Rye to use a bow. He was a lot like his father that way. I did teach him about plants though. Both he and his sister had a vast amount of knowledge on them, which again, made me think that it could save their lives one day.

I heard a chair scraping against the wooden floor and I looked up in time to see my daughter get up and place her plates on the sink. She grabbed her game bag from her chair and told Peeta softly that she would be going into the woods.

Peeta nodded at her and let her go. He wasn't that surprised. Willow spent a lot of her time in the woods, much like myself, only she would go there whenever I'm not.

Peeta finally took a seat but he didn't start eating. I noticed that Willow ate but I could tell it wasn't a lot. Rye gathered some food on his plate but he only took a few bites.

The Games had this effect on all of us. I couldn't blame Willow for wanting to escape this atmosphere. She wasn't one for moping around. She needed something to occupy herself with and hunting in the woods gave her that reprieve.

"So… tomorrow's Reaping Day…" Peeta sighed.

Yes… tomorrow was Reaping Day. Tomorrow… one or both of my children might be sent to their deaths.

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><p><strong>AN:** SO...that's that... It's mostly just introduction, letting you see glimpses of the Mellark household and their relationships. I'm mostly gonna write this in Katniss' and Willow's POV. Yeah... That's me. Anyways... This is my first attempt at a Hunger Games fanfic and actually... I don't usually use first person POV in my fics. So... something new, I think. I tend to forget sometimes. Anyways, I hope I didn't do too badly. Please tell me what you guys think


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

-Willow-

The morning of Reaping Day was what I hated the most. All of us were tired from being awakened by nightmares, not just from mom but from all of us. None of us felt like leaving our beds. Unfortunately, dad eventually made his way downstairs and started preparing breakfast. He knew full well that none of us could hold down anything but he did it anyway. Maybe he just needed to get himself occupied.

We came down when he called us but mom didn't. She was probably still in bed… or maybe she couldn't bear to look at us. I don't blame her. I couldn't even look at Rye without seeing him with a knife or a sword sticking out of his chest. Rye felt the same.

Dad didn't leave our sides though. He made sure both me and my brother ate and he did everything he could to make us feel better. He even hugged us close after we cleared away the table and he wouldn't let us go until five minutes later. Rye and I didn't stop him. It felt good to have that kind of secure and comforting presence on this kind of day.

"Alright… why don't you uh… go upstairs and get ready?" Dad said, patting our shoulders and sending us upstairs. Rye went up immediately but I stayed behind.

"Dad?" I asked just as he sank down on the couch. He looked up at me tiredly and raised his eyebrows.

"Need anything else, sweety?" he said, propping up his elbows on his knees.

I shook my head and went over to him. "Dad… do you think… do you think mom could take it if one of us gets picked?"

He sighed heavily at my question. It took him a while to answer but the sad look in his eyes gripped at me.

"Don't worry about it, Willow… She'll be all right. She's strong that way…" he said slowly, like he was trying to convince himself.

I gave him a small nod and took off upstairs. It broke my heart to see my parents look so disheartened. They were already so broken and the Games only made it worse.

I went into my room, waiting for Rye to finish using the bathroom only to find him sitting on my bed.

"Rye… what-" was all I could manage to say when he tackled me in a hug.

"Promise me you won't volunteer for anyone?" he said softly, his voice cracking.

I was a bit shocked at first but I placed my arms around him and said, "Whoa… where's all this coming from?"

It didn't make him feel better. His grip tightened and he repeated what he had said earlier. "Promise me you won't volunteer for anyone."

I sighed and rubbed his back. "I won't do that, Rye, c'mon… I actually like breathing… well… Well if you get reaped, then I guess there's no stopping me. I'd volunteer in a heartbeat-"

Rye broke our hug and glared at me. "Don't do that! Mom's breaking down and that's only with the possibility of one of us getting sent into that arena. How do you think she's gonna take it if both of us get picked?"

"Rye… it's my job. I'm your big sister. It's my job to look after you. If only one of us gets to come out then it should be you." I told him reasonably.

"Why should I get to come out alive? What makes _me_ so special?" he asked me angrily.

I shook my head and pulled him down to my bed. His shoulders were shaking and I took his hands in mine, rubbing small circles with my thumb. "Rye… you're too young to understand it but… mom and dad… they need you more than they need me. No, no listen- _Listen!_ It doesn't matter what happens to me. You should stay alive, for them."

We were quiet for a while. He seemed to be pondering over my words. It wasn't until after a few minutes that he spoke.

"Just… just don't do anything stupid, Willow."

I shook my head and chuckled sadly. He really _was_ too young. "Shouldn't _I _be saying that to you?"

He shrugged his shoulders and got up from the bed. "Not when it's you doing the stupid stuff."

I gave him a small smile and watched as he went to the door. He stopped and turned around to look at me.

"You know," he said. "you should use the bathroom first. I know how long it takes for you to get ready."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Oh shut up. Yeah, yeah… I'll go first."

I pushed him out of the room and proceeded towards the bathroom. I did my best to bathe quickly to try and prove Rye wrong just so I could see the look on his face. When I was done, I went to my room to change. I saw my brother on the way and I gave him a smirk to which he responded with a look of surrender. I laughed a little and ruffled his hair.

At we were still joking around. If I ever got reaped today, I wanted my last memories of my brother be good ones. Not the both of us sulking around and crying. I wouldn't want that.

When I got into my room, however, I found my mother there, straightening the dress she laid out on my bed. She looked up when I closed the door.

From a distance, she looked fine. Her eyes were a bit red and puffy but it was to be expected, I think. She was wearing one of her Capitol dresses. Not the large, ridiculous ones. She wore something much simpler but it was clear from the fabric and the elegance of the design that it was Capitol made.

The dress she laid out was even more so. Its fabric looked expensive but the intricate designs on the hem of the dress looked priceless. She never wore dresses from the Capitol unless they were actually there. To see her lay out something from them… it was a first for me.

Mom beckoned me closer and I complied. She placed her hands on my shoulders and guided me towards the edge of the bed.

"This… this was from a friend of mine a long time ago. He… um… he made this. I never got the chance to wear it but… I think you should. I want you to wear it." She said as she picked up the dress and handed it to me.

I stuttered out my thanks and went over to the corner to change. I didn't think she would trust me to wear something like this. I was about to outgrow my last dress. I guess mom noticed too.

The dress was fairly simple. I had no trouble getting it on. Mom's attention wasn't on me when I turned around. She'd been staring at the wall ever since I left to change into the dress. As I stared at her, I noticed for the first time how old she truly was.

I don't know what kind of things the Capitol did but they did something to my parents and now, they looked like they haven't aged a day older than 25 or something. They had a few wrinkles and a few white hairs but it was barely noticeable.

Her wrinkles were more defined now as I stared at her. Her eyes were filled with pain and sorrow and not just because of what today was. Everything, every moment of her entire life, was held in those eyes and that was proof that they were old. That they had seen many terrible things in their life and it wasn't going to stop.

I cleared my throat awkwardly and walked over to her. Mom took one look at me and she nodded, turning me around and straightening out a few places.

"There…" she said softly when she was one. "Come on… let's do your hair."

We don't talk to each other a lot. She had been doing my hair even before I was old enough to be reaped and we knew that this was the one activity that didn't need words from either of us. I remembered her gentle touch and the way she pulled on my hair and braided it to perfection.

When I turned twelve and eligible for the games, the Capitol practically burst with excitement. My parents didn't share the same enthusiasm. Sure, the moment Rye had become eligible was a day sadder than mine, but it was somber nonetheless. The Capitol even rung our house and offered stylists to make me look stunning at my first reaping and I remembered my father slamming the phone in a way of showing them his refusal. Mom kept herself locked up in her room for days.

She came out of the room eventually and laid out a nice dress for me. It was a very old outfit. She told me it had been her sister's. I was surprised to see her have me wear it but she waved it away. She helped me wordlessly and braided my hair afterwards. She still had that gentle touch but it was lost to me when I saw the expression on her face.

I saw that expression today when she had me sit down in front of my mirror. It was during these moments, as I gazed up at her face, that I let myself believe that she loved me… that I believed that I would break her heart if I let myself die in that arena.

But then her usual stoic face would return and the moment would end. I wonder if she resented me deep down. I wonder if she hated that the Capitol forced her to have me, an uncontrollable and short-tempered girl, to look after.

Rye was the unexpected addition to the family. The moment they found out mom was pregnant with Rye, their smiles started to return. He brought them smiles even before he was born, smiles that I could never reproduce even if I tried really hard.

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><p>-Katniss-<p>

I looked at both of my children, standing before me in their reaping clothes. This was the one image that I never wanted to see in my lifetime. This was the sole reason why I never wanted to have children.

"Oh… Willow, you look beautiful in that dress." I heard Peeta say from behind me. He was the last one to get ready amongst the four of us. We had been waiting for him to finish in the living room so we could depart.

Willow gave him a small smile, barely noticeable. "Thanks dad…"

Peeta chuckled and hugged Rye and Willow. I got the feeling that this wasn't the first hug that happened today but I let it slide. I went over to them and reminded them that we should get going. Peeta nodded and let our children go reluctantly.

I found myself wandering over to my youngest, Rye, and wrapping my arms around him. I didn't know why but it was easier to do things like this with him. I guess it was because Rye was somewhat safe from the Capitol, with the Hunger Games being the only exception. Maybe that was why I let my guard down around him and I was never afraid of showing affection to him because I knew, even if the he wouldn't get reaped, the Capitol would never take him.

Willow on the other hand… she was the face of the Mellark household. She was our first child and therefore, was considered the proof of our love. Her conception had been forced but that didn't mean that I didn't love her any less than her brother.

I had a difficult pregnancy and due to the constant stress from the Capitol, I delivered Willow much earlier than anticipated. I was seven months pregnant and there had been a hundred phone calls from the Capitol for the past few weeks before her unexpected birth. Peeta was on the verge of having an episode and that was the last thing we wanted. Haymitch stayed away, thankfully. It was only my mother who had somehow kept us all together. Despite my anger and frustrations at her, I couldn't help but be grateful that she had been there when she was.

She was the only healer I trusted and since Willow wanted out, we didn't really have a choice.

Thirty-eight hours of labor and one final push later, Willow was welcomed into the world. I was the first to hold her, only because my mother thought that it was only right that I should.

And she was right. The moment that I held my little girl in my arms was the happiest moment of my life. My fears vanished and love immediately took its place. I shed many tears in my entire lifetime but Willow was the first to make me cry out of happiness and pure love.

Unfortunately, my fear came back when I heard Effie's voice from downstairs. I almost forgot that she would be taking the journey to District 12 for some minor preparations for an interview with Caesar Flickerman.

It was then that I remembered that Willow was never going to be _just_ ours. The minute she entered the world was the minute she was going to be watched over the Capitol. One small slip up and she would be gone from our lives.

_Just one child, Ms. Everdeen. Prove to the people that you are not just for display… Give them proof. Just one child._

My eyes darted to the door and to my husband smiling at the bundle in my arms.

_And if I give them one… you will leave us alone?_

It was suddenly becoming harder to breath. I could feel a weight crushing my heart. Something was squeezing my lungs painfully.

_Not quite. If that child of yours steps out of line… she will be put under our care._

I took one long look at my tiny daughter and then my eyes darted over to my husband. Peeta had noticed that I was no longer warm and happy. I was panicking.

_You're… going to take our child away?_

"Peeta… Peeta, take her. Please. Peeta, please take her…" I said shakily, lifting my arms out to him. Peeta looked very confused but he took the baby off of my arms. I had a sinking feeling in my gut and my heart feel like it was breaking in two as I looked at my daughter.

"Take her away… Peeta, don't… please, just… take her away…"

_If you fail to convince the people… then, yes. It will come to that. Just remember, Ms. Everdeen. This isn't the Games, anymore. A few berries will never be able to turn things into your favor. Not. Anymore._

I shook her head at the memory. Right after that, my fear had gotten to me and I drove my husband and daughter outside the room, refusing to look at either of them for the next few days.

I heard Peeta's calls for me from outside our bedroom and I also heard Willow's cries from her nursery. My heart, very carefully built over the past five years, shattered even more.

It wasn't until a week had passed that both my mother and Peeta managed to talk me into dragging myself out of bed. Even then, I didn't have the strength to take another look at my daughter. I knew I was being silly and irrational and from Willow's cries, it was clear that she needed me… but I couldn't risk pouring my heart out to that sweet, innocent, beautiful little girl.

She had stolen my heart since I heard her first cries. She already had my fragile heart wrapped around her tiny fingers. If something ever happened to her… if the Capitol would take her away… then I would break. They would finally _finally_ break the Mockingjay.

"Mom? Mom? You okay?"

I shook out of my trance and was mildly surprised to see a sixteen-year old Willow standing a few steps away from me. She stared at me with a blank expression but her eyes told a different story. I didn't have time to find out what, however, as I felt my youngest hold my hand from beside me.

"You okay, mom?"

Oh. So Rye was the one who asked me earlier.

I looked down at him and wordlessly gave him a small nod. He mumbled something like 'm'kay' and released his hold on my hand. Not long after he left my side, I felt Peeta slide his fingers into mine.

I looked up at his face. He looked calm and collected like always. He was still her rock, even when this whole ordeal broke his heart as much as it broke hers.

I leaned my head on his shoulders and sighed.

"So… it starts again." He said softly as he stared at our children walking outside the house.

Rye looked back at us and gave us a half smile, probably reassuring us that nothing was going to happen. I couldn't bring myself to give him one in return. Peeta, however, waved at him. Willow, on the other hand, was refusing to look in our direction, unlike her brother. She was looking at the pathway just outside our house, looking at nothing in particular, bouncing on the soles of her feet.

I always thought that she was like me, someone who didn't like hugs or any form of affection but then I saw how happy she would become whenever Peeta would hug her or lift her up into the air when she was a little girl. I saw the look in her eyes when she saw me put my arms around Rye, the hurt and longing.

I regret distancing myself from my own daughter but it was hard to shake off the things you've gotten used to in your life. I was devastated when my sister died and I'm not sure how I picked myself up like I did after her death… but I knew that I wouldn't be able to do that again if I lost Willow.

I was reverting to my old tactics. If a stranger died, it wouldn't hurt you at all. But lately, as I stared at my daughter, now sixteen and radiant… I couldn't help but beat myself up for doing what I had to do. For sixteen years, I was emotionally distant and I thought it would work.

It didn't.

With the Reaping in just under an hour, I couldn't help the pain erupting in my chest with the cold realization that if Willow got reaped today…

I might lose her without even telling her the three words she deserved to hear so many times over.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And that's Chapter 2. Welp... not much of a development, since I've postponed the Reaping for the next Chapter and... yeah, emotional Katniss **will** be difficult to write. I don't have enough words to - oh... _oh right..._ according to that Tarzan song, "No words describe a mother's tears" so... yeah. That'd be one explanation for the possible sucky description I'd write for the next Chap...


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